From the Frame
by shippyphile
Summary: Post "The Truth" Mon and Jon decide to make a big move but something goes wrong... DRR
1. Default Chapter

AN: This takes place after The Truth, when Monica and John have decided to run away to Canada together and get married. This story is kind of a sequel to my other fan fic on this site, "Shattered and Scrambled," so you might want to read that first but you definitely don't have to for understanding.

From the Frame

Chapter 1

Monica awoke with a jolt. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she peered through the gloom of the car. When she didn't see John, her muscles tightened and a knot of panic flared up in her stomach. Her sweaty hands closed in on the door handle, and she bolted outside. The light hit her full force, and he was forced to shield her eyes with one hand as she called, "John!" She realized a second after the words had escaped her mouth that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but she sighed softly as she saw John's familiar silhouette strolling towards her.

"Hey!" He signaled while casually waving.

Monica's heart melted, and it wasn't just the Southwestern heat. She let a rare smile flash across her face and sauntered slowly toward him. He opened his inviting arms once again, and she leaned in to kiss him. She slanted into his arms and he held her as she whispered, "Where've you been?" Just loud enough for the two of them to hear it.

"Nature called," he half-chuckled. Taking her hand, they meandered back to the car, and half sat, half leaned on the dusty hood to discuss what to do.

"I think we both know Canada is the best place," hinted Monica.

John nodded. "We'll start over, totally fresh," he agreed.

"We need ID's, an apartment, food, and jobs."

"So essentially we need money."

"Exactly."

"But if we get cash from an ATM, won't they be able to track us?"

"Yeah, but that's just a risk we must take. Besides, I doubt they're looking too hard for us anyway. It's Mulder they want. We should still be cautious, though. Let's both take all our money out, only once, so they won't have a path to follow, only a stop on the road. And once we get to Toronto and change names, we'll be virtually impossible to find."

"So, what should our names be?" John questioned.

"Well," Monica mused, while biting her lip. "I think it would be wise to just keep our first names, so we don't get confused. They're pretty common. But as for our last name, we should use something common, like Smith or Brown."

"Ok, Mrs. Monica Smith, that has a nice ring to it," chuckled John quietly. "Speaking of rings," he began, "I think it would just be safer if we entered Canada as a married couple, instead of getting married there. Otherwise things could get messy."

"Yeah," Monica sighed. Deep down she had always hoped for a big white wedding, with flowers and long, silky, dresses; the works. But she knew that would never come true. At least she was marrying the best man ever, one she knew she could always trust and count on, and one she knew cared about her, and would forever.

John slid his arm around her shoulder and offered some comforting words, "I know it's not what you wanted, but it is the smartest and safest way. Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to, and it seems we get more than our share of that. But I guess that goes with the territory of working on The X-Files. We can never truly escape our past, even when we have too."

Monica nodded slowly as she thought back to her "parents" in Mexico City, and to her real past, her haunted, horrible past. But even though it was more than rough and certainly less than normal, it was hers, and she was glad to know, instead of being left hanging. There were still some gaps, but there would always be. That just went with the territory too.

The couple glanced at each other for a moment, and then, with only a look, Monica convinced him to get back in the car and keep on driving.

"We'll stop and get the cash as soon as possible," she announced while squinting into the sun.

John just nodded.

Within an hour, Monica felt weak with nervousness and fear, and every minute she found her hand instinctively reaching under her seat, just to make sure. Combined, they had about 10,000, which was more than most people would normally lug around. So they stopped only when necessary, being as careful as possible.

But maybe that wasn't careful enough.

AN: Should I keep going?


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for all the reviews :)

_The alarm clock certainty is asking for it this morning, _thought Amy. She groaned into her pillow as the annoying buzz filled her ears again, and as usual, always too early. She swatted at the alarm clock as if it was an evil fly that kept darting away from her grasping fingers. Her face sank as she unintentionally tipped out of bed, a result of the swatting. She staggered across her tiny box of a room until she nearly tripped over her destination; a flimsy desk, into which she slammed her fist, missing her target by a mile and causing the desk to shake and threaten to collapse.

"Woah!" Called a voice from the other room. "What happened here? World War III?"

A woman who was swathed in every possible kind of blanket waddled into the room as quickly as she could, considering that she was practically a mummy. Her blue robe trailed behind her in mid-stride, and she rushed back to pick it up and wrap it around her again. "When did it get so cold in here?" She complained. "I was feeling toasty in bed, under all the covers."

Amy just raised her left eyebrow, an ability she was glad to have. "Yeah, me too," she sighed with a touch of sarcasm. "Until the revenge of the alarm clock."

"But its Sat -," her mother questioned.

"I know," Amy nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing that you're up anyway, because we have a bunch of errands to run," she announced with a fake smile as she turned to leave the room.

Amy turned away and started to pull on some faded jeans. But her mind was elsewhere, and soon she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed, staring of into space, deep in thought. She flopped down on her back, and unintentionally she found herself face-to-face with her father.

Well, not actually her father, just a picture. She had never met her real father; she just had a two picture of him in her room. She studied his short hair, well-defined features, and most of all his eyes. They were so deep and blue, like a cold swimming pool on a sweltering summer day. She had questioned her mother for years about him, but only recently was she able to actually realize what she was talking about.

She had essentially been a product of a one night stand. At first, she was alarmingly hurt; she didn't want to be a "mistake." But her mom told her that she loved her father very much, and had known him for many years. They had even planned to get married. But then something happened, something her mom, Monica, didn't want to talk about. Amy always wondered what that something was, and one of her dreams was to find her dad and get his side of the story. Monica always said she had no idea where he was, or if he was still alive, but Amy could tell her mom's heart still ached for him.

A knock on the door shattered her thoughts as she muttered, "Come in."

"What do we need at the grocery store?" questioned her mom. She sank onto the flimsy bed and put her arm around Amy's shoulder. Amy pondered asking her yet another question about her dad, but decided to forget it. Her mom was going through enough anyway. Amy could tell she was lonely, and always thought of him. She could have dated, for she was attractive, but she always opted to stay home and watch reruns on TV. Her shoulder length hair was the color of black coffee and spilled down her head and framed her face nicely. She had eyes that instantly gazed over everything they saw and absorbed it into her personal collection. But maybe it was her eyes that kept people away. They seemed haunted, like she had seen way more than her share of sin. Amy sometimes felt bad for leaving her at home when she went out with her friends. But she always rationalized that she had plenty of thinking to do. It always seemed that way at least.

"Mom, I want to know my dad, you know, meet him, and get to know him," declared Amy.

"Well that's understandable honey. I wish I could see him again too. I guess I wish a lot of things," was the dreary reply.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3...

Monica felt the sun beaming down on her face and smiled. Everything was going to be perfect, well, at least in her own little world. Forgetting the fact that she had no idea what she would do once they actually got to Canada, she just felt overjoyed to feel John's fingers interwoven with hers. Life was going to be ideal, she could just feel it.

John wasn't exactly sharing in Monica's bliss. Every time he saw a cop car, he paled and started sweating vigorously. He was at the wheel, and somehow felt that every mile was another minute that passed between their old lives and their new life together. As nice as that sounded, he was concerned about being caught – to him it just seemed like they were getting away too easily, as if they were walking into a trap. If there was one thing he had learned on the X-Files, it was to be wary of who you trust.

As border crossing neared, John became even more nervous. Monica was sleeping, and he didn't want to wake her – she looked so peaceful and content. For a second he allowed himself to be happy. But then he got back to thinking, letting fear eat him alive. _That's so unlike you, John_, he mused.

Six hours later they pulled up to the checkpoint, praying that the sight of an American passport would be enough to wave them through without any problems. Hoping that not every border checkpoint could have been alerted about two FBI agents. They were in luck, and got through smoothly, which only made John worry more.

"Mon, don't you feel like this is all going too easily, like we're being to naïve?" he questioned.

"No honey, I actually have a good feeling about this one."

If there was one other thing John had learned on the X-Files, it was to trust Monica's little feelings. And indeed, they proved to be reliable once again. Upon arriving in Vancouver, the pair settled into a small apartment, Monica got a job teaching kickboxing classes at the local gym, and John, who was having more trouble finding work, stayed home during the day and searched for one. It was not as glorious as their former life, perhaps, but they were together. Monica looked at her ring finger almost constantly, where John had slipped a toy ring as a placeholder until they had enough money saved up to buy a real one. Everything was going well.

All that changed one night. Monica arrived home with exciting news – she was pregnant. Her emotions were crazy – she was both overjoyed to be starting a family with the man she loved, and scared about how they were going to afford it. But she was comforted because she knew John would always think of something. However, the instant she started climbing the stairs, she could tell something was wrong. She opened the door to a deserted apartment, belongings strewn everywhere. Where most people would have suspected robbery, Monica knew at once what happened. She drew her gun that she still carried with her and began to roam the apartment. Tears streamed from her eyes as the full impact of the situation hit her like a soccer ball to the stomach. They had taken everything. More importantly, they had taken the one person who mattered to her. Five minutes later, carrying the cash that remained and the two photos she had of John, Monica left the apartment for the last time, fingering her plastic ring.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again for the reviews you guys 

Chapter 4…

_Oh man I am most certainly going to fail this test_, thought Amy.She looked around the room – it seemed like everyone else was working just fine, but she just didn't get math. Period. She didn't see the point– for example, when was she ever going to use her "knowledge" of logarithms or parametric equations?

So, a week later, when she received her test and got a D, she couldn't help but feel relieved. However, her teacher, seemed to think otherwise, for when she got home, her mother greeted her with rather unpleasant news.

"So, I got a call from your math teacher today," Monica began.

"I know, I know, I'm practically failing – but not quite," Amy protested.

"He says you're not trying hard enough," Monica countered. "And he wants you to get a tutor. He suggested one – Billy Ryan, do you know him?"

"Yeah, kinda. He's a senior who's going to Princeton or something – he's a genius."

"Well, apparently he needs some money or something, so hopefully he can whip you into shape."

"Right," Amy muttered.

The next night, when Amy heard Billy knock on the front door, she felt like crawling under the covers and never coming out – she not only hated math, she hated the idea that some kid who was only two years older than her was going to come in and make her feel even more stupid.

"Hey, Billy."

"Hello Amy."

"So…"

"Yes, I understand you need some help with algebra."

"Yes, yes, lots of help."

"Alright, I brought my books."

When Billy left, Amy had to admit to herself that she had been wrong. He wasn't condescending and was overall very helpful. And she had to confess… he was pretty cute too – she never noticed at school because she just pegged him as a dork, but now she was being forced to take another look.

"He seems familiar," Monica mused. "I just can't place it… Maybe I know his parents?"

"I think he lives with an adopted family… one time he wrote this column in the school newspaper about never knowing his parents – it hit home," Amy replied, trying to make her mom feel guilty.

However, that attempt didn't work because Monica's brain was hard at work about who this mysterious stranger could be.

Meanwhile, Amy got closer and closer to Billy through their study sessions, which were turning out to not be very productive. So when Billy asked Amy to the Valentines Dance, Monica had seen it coming for miles.

Of course, after they had dated for awhile, there came the inevitable embarrassment of sharing baby pictures, and once such night, Billy brought his over to lessen Amy's pain from her mother's constant sharing.

"I don't have very many baby pictures," he began. "I've been with my adopted parents since I was around two or three years old, so I only have this one picture with my biological parents and me."

Monica's mouth hung, gaping, even though she was trying desperately to be polite. The picture showed a baby Billy, being held by his beaming father, who was tall with brown hair, with his proud mother – a shorter redhead, looking on.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry, I won't be able to post this weekend, so here's a double post.

Chapter 5…

Monica was numb. All she knew was that she had to get away – if they had gotten John they most likely knew that the two of them were together and were waiting around to catch her. She just couldn't believe it. She had been so happy – maybe it wasn't perfect but at least they were together. Now she had nothing but a rapidly expanding belly. She desperately wanted to look for John, but really she had no idea where to begin. And something inside told her that John would have just wanted her to get away safely, that he would make it out alive by himself. Right now, though, she just hated those stupid feelings she always had – they had misled her, misled her into feeling safe, while ignorantly going along with her life – all the while a oblivious sitting duck.

Her first instinct was to drive towards the ocean, and maybe keep going into it, but she knew how wrong that would be. If she ever had any hopes of reuniting with John, she had to be alive for that to happen. She just felt so helpless. Even with her training, she could find no clues as to where they had taken John – the shadow government apparently had thousands of hideouts all across the world – what could she possibly to do stop them? Nothing. All she could think about now was her safety. So, she drove east, not really sure where she was going, but just trying to get away. She didn't really think of it as closing that brief chapter of her life – it was more like opening new possibilities, hopefully all of which would contain John. She stepped on the gas as she entered the freeway, full of a resolve to find him, no matter how long it took her.

Approximately nine months later, she was still no closer to finding John, but had more pressing matters on her hands – taking care of their daughter, who was now just a newborn. Monica named her Amy, which means beloved, hoping that she would be able to love her enough to make up for her father's absence. They had now settled into a small apartment in Toronto, and although Monica was just glad they didn't catch her when they caught John, she longed constantly for them to be together. As time passed and Amy grew, Monica feared the day when she would ask why she didn't have a daddy like other girls. When she finally did, Monica panicked and said that her daddy was just gone for a little while and he was coming back soon. She kicked herself for saying only what she hoped, and not telling her daughter the truth she didn't want to face.

Monica was racked with guilt daily for not doing much in the search for John, but she really just didn't know how to start or where to look. Plus, with a tenacious toddler, just like her father, in tow, she rarely had a spare moment. What was she supposed to do? She traced her mind for clues constantly, but it just didn't seem like there was anything up there that could help. As the years past, she grew more and more desolate, and warded off guilt trips from her anxious daughter by simply being vague with her answers. The truth was; it hurt her more to see her daughter in such longing than it hurt when she thought about John.

By the time her daughter was 15, Monica had all but given up hope – there was only a small part of her mind that constantly thought that some day they would just magically reunite somehow. She both loved that part for keeping her alive and hated it for never fulfilling what it promised. Little did she know, the answer was practically right under her nose. So she learned that Billy Ryan was actually William Mulder, she saw it as an opportunity to reopen the door she had all but closed, and finally give her daughter her father.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6…

"Amy, can I see you for a moment, in the kitchen?" Monica managed to choke out.

"Um, I guess if you have to."

"Listen honey, you know how I kinda never told you very much about your dad? Well, it's time we all had a little talk, Wi- I mean Billy, included," she stammered.

"Um, ok mom, but can you try not to make it weird because I don't want Billy to think I'm some kind of freak," Amy pleaded.

Monica just sighed, somehow wishing she had thought to tell her daughter this sooner.

When everyone was seated in the living room once again, Monica began her tale, starting way back with Samantha's abduction and Mulder's quest and continuing through her joining of the X-Files, and the final case they all went on together, ending neatly with, "So, what I'm trying to say here, Billy, is that I know your biological parents and together we can try to find them and also Amy's father."

The room was so quiet that you could hear the silence throbbing. Finally it was Will that dared to ask the first question: "So, how do we find them?"

Monica just smiled. She was glad that Will actually believed her and was willing to take a chance on her naïve little idea that everyone should just be happy. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure how to go about this – as you've gathered we have to be very, very careful. Maybe you could try to find out some more information from your adopted parents about the circumstances surrounding your adoption, but I bet they don't know much either – those kind of things are kept pretty quiet. And, other than that is, I'm feeling like this summer might be a good one for a road trip."

Monica left the room soon after, feeling rejuvenated and full of hope, and going to take some time to mull things over.

Meanwhile, Will and Amy both felt overwhelmed and yet strangely bonded by their newfound knowledge of their pasts.

"I wonder if it's fate, you know, like, how could it just be a coincidence that we would meet?" pondered Will. "I mean, we're each going to help each other get the one thing we've each been searching for our entire lives."

"It destiny," Amy replied softly. "Hey… is it ok if I still call you Billy? That's just how I _know _you – you still seem like Billy to me."

"It would be weird if you didn't call me Billy – I still seem like Billy to myself. This is all so new."

"I just hope everything works out o.k."

"Yeah, me too."

That night after Will went home; Amy lay awake, dreaming of what it would be like to finally meet her father. She was getting ahead of herself, as usual. In the next room, Monica lay awake too, fantasizing about John lying next to her, wrapping his muscular arms around her, comforting her after their being apart for so long. She had remained faithful; she hadn't completely given up hope, even in the darkest hours. And now she hoped that fate, that miraculous thing that had given her renewed hope after all those years, would once again help her – this time allowing her dreams to become a long-awaited reality.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the lack of posts and thanks again for the reviews. Here's chapter 7...

Monica remembered falling in and out of sleep, all the while her mind churning, wondering about what they would do, formulating plans, and most of all, worrying about what would happen if the whole thing failed, if she let her daughter down. However, the next morning, she was surprised to find herself flowing with anxiety and consequently, energy.

Since summer vacation had just started a few days ago, Monica had taken the week off to spend some time with Amy. Will was going to college at summer's end, however, he was attending the University of Toronto and would be remaining close. The whole summer stretched in front of them – they all knew that they should be filling it spending time with their respective loved ones that they had missed for so long, they just couldn't think of how to get to that point.

"Well, let me just throw this out there for starters," Monica offered. "What if we try to get some information about your adoption, Will, and maybe that will give us a starting place."

"Sure, it's worth a shot," replied Will. "I'll snoop around when my parents aren't home to see if I can find a copy… they should have one."

That night, Will convinced his parents to go see some movie he had no desire to see while he began his search. When they had returned, he already had the papers with him, and was shocked by what he read.

"Monica, it doesn't say anything about my parents being Dana Scully or Fox Mulder, in fact my parents sound pretty weird. Here's what it says," Will read:

_Name: Mr. Bob Jones_

_Reason for relinquishment of child: Wife died during horrible storm, struck by lighting at home on top of a mountain, he cannot take care of child by himself. _

_Child's Age: 2 years_

_Name: William _

"Well, I think this could actually be riddled with clues," Monica mused. "Now, maybe I'm crazy, but think of this scenario: Mulder and Scully are forced to put you up for adoption by their captors, who tell them to make something up on the form. Your parents, being ever so wise, decided to point anyone who might be looking for them in the right direction. You see, this so-called shadow government, the ones that took Mulder, Scully, and John, has one of its main hideouts at a place called Mount Weather."

She paused. "Ohhh… I see it now," both Will and Amy exclaimed in unison. "So, they're at Mount Weather?"

"Well, we don't really have any way of knowing that for sure, but they were definitely going to Mount Weather 15 years ago. Whether they're still there or not is a different question, but at least it's a start," Monica replied.

They all shared that same optimistic yet extremely nervous attitude, and that night Amy and Will sat on his front porch, enjoying the beautiful summer night – too early for mosquitoes, but the stars were exquisite. The next day they would begin their long drive to Mount Weather, some distant place neither of them could really comprehend. It simply felt like they were going along for the ride – a really bumpy and confusing ride with lots of turns in dark and shadowy passages that threaten to send you spiraling into the nearest ditch if you're not careful.

"Billy, are you… nervous?"

"How could I not be?"

"But, what I mean is, what if you don't like your parents, what if I don't like my dad? I've been dreaming about him for so long, what if when I finally meet him he isn't like I thought he would be? After all these years of longing and hoping, and after this risky journey, what if it's not worth it?"

"Amy, that would be like saying that you were a former marathon runner who was paralyzed. After years of physical therapy, you were finally able to run again, yet you complain about not being able to run marathons. You see? You'll be lucky to finally have your dad in your life, and even if he's not perfect, he'll be there and that's all that really matters. Besides, who's perfect anyway?"

"You," Amy replied as Will wiped a tear from her cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry this post took so long. Here's chapter 8...

Monica didn't really know what she was going to do when she arrived at Mount Weather – in her mind she would just pull up, somehow bypass security and find Mulder, Scully and Doggett patiently twiddling their thumbs waiting for her. All she knew is that it felt good simply to be doing _something._ For so long she had waited and wondered and felt guilty for not doing anything, and at least now she was moving in the right direction. Presumably.

Amy had never felt more nervous in her entire life. They were only a few hours away and yet it seemed no plan whatsoever had been discussed. Yeah, maybe she wasn't the best at solving problems, but this little problem in particular was screaming for attention. So, when her mom pulled over for lunch at a McDonalds, Amy just had to ask, "So, mom, what exactly are we doing?"

"Well, um… to tell you the truth, your guess is as good as mine. I've only been inside Mount Weather once, and that was 16 years ago. However, if I remember it correctly and they haven't made any changes, there is a main security gate that we can hopefully avoid and go in through the back by hopping the fence. After that, I think we should all split up and each go look for them. Do you both have watches? Good. We'll split up and after an hour we'll meet back at the car – if we've found them, then great, if not, I don't think we will find them. Plus, I doubt that we'll still be as invisible as we want after an hour inside. If you get caught, don't say anything about the rest of us and after we see that you're not at the car we'll come to rescue you. Overall, you guys both know what I'm going to say – if this is possible – try not to be too nervous about it and just go with your feelings – if something feels right then do it and if something feels wrong then stay away. Will, your father always said "trust no one" but if you have to trust something in a tight spot, let it be your gut. Other than that, I don't have any other advice. Are you guys sure you want to do this?"

Amy and Will had never been so sure about anything in their whole lives. So as their car came to stop just within sight of the evil-looking fence surrounding the massive complex as the sun sank behind it, all three took deep breaths, closed the car doors softly, and began to run, toward what could very well be the source of the happiness for which they had searched for years, or the source of their very untimely ruin. Risk was the name of the game, and once again fate was in control. Amy could have sworn she heard a thud as the dice were rolled, but maybe it was just the soft rhythm of her feet pounding the ground, carrying her closer to her dream or demise with every step.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry the updates have been so slow and thanks for the reviews. Here's chapter 9...

Amy had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. Tripping down the stairs in front of the whole cafeteria had nothing on this. She couldn't believe she was expected to be able to act cool and nonchalant while she was breaking the law inside a weird building while on the most important and dangerous mission of her life. Plus, she had counted on the building being at least mostly deserted because it was after 7 o'clock, but no, these people were freaky – they didn't even notice her walk by, thankfully, they just stayed glued to their computers, pounding away on the keys faster than she ever thought humanly possible. They just didn't stop.

She walked briskly, while still trying to take note of her surroundings and look for a redhead and two brown-haired guys among hundreds of busy workers. _Well, this is impossible_, she thought. However, just as she thought that she should give up, for it was getting close to the hour and she didn't want to be presumed missing, she spied one particular worker that caught her attention. How couldn't he – she knew his face from somewhere. And then it came to her, this Mr. Bob Jones, as his nameplate read, was really none other than Fox Mulder.

At first she didn't know what to do – she was both excited that she had actually accomplished something and wondering how she would get him to come with her. Obviously her first instinct to run right up to him and scream wasn't such a good one so she just hung back and watched him for a minute. He never once looked up from his screen. _Is he naturally this… industrious? What do they do to people here?_ She wondered. Soon, she just wanted to get it over with, and marched up to him, trying to summon as much courage as possible.

"Mr. Jones?" she asked.

"How may I help you?" was his monotone reply.

"I was wondering if you could help me… fix something"

"Why of course."

Amy was almost concerned that it was that easy – it certainly shouldn't have been. In fact, the whole situation made her seem even more uneasy if that was possible. When they got to the equally robotic guard, Mulder simply nodded and was allowed to pass. No questions asked. Apparently whoever designed this system had never dreamed that someone would try to infiltrate it so plainly. They didn't count on a daughter, a son, and an ever-waiting bride showing up 15 years later, willing to fight as hard and as long as it took to be reunited with their loved ones.

Luckily, it hadn't come to that yet. As Amy walked back to the car with Mulder, she saw Will standing next to her father, and Monica next to Scully. As Amy and Will exchanged fathers, Amy couldn't help but feel let down by the whole situation. She had always pictured the reunion as one full of hugs, kisses, and tears of joy. She had dreamed about it for 15 years. But now, it actuality, it seemed so devoid of emotion. She didn't even want to hug her father because all he could say to her was, "Why aren't we inside? I want to inform my supervisor of this breech."

As they all climbed into the car and sped off once again, successful in their mission, Amy saw a tear slide down her mother's face.

"We got them back physically, now all we need to do is get them back mentally," she whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the wait. I'm going on spring break tomorrow so I won't be able to post for a while so here's a long-ish post (well at least for me). Chapter 10...

If Amy thought the reunion was awkward, it was nothing compared to the long car ride home. Monica thought it would be safe to just keep driving so that when it was realized that Mulder, Scully, and John were missing they would already be on their way home and hopefully out of reach. Luckily, this was the case; they were completely safe the whole way home. However, Will, Monica, and Amy all soon realized that safety was not exactly their biggest concern.

"What am I fixing?" Mulder questioned for about the 30th time that hour. Amy regretted telling him that in the first place – he was so robotic that he didn't even need an excuse to be led around like a child.

Meanwhile, John was staring at a photo of himself. "Who's that?" he wondered. Monica would have normally rolled her eyes but this time she was really concerned.

"Mom, how are we going to fix this?" Amy cried. "Really, if I knew that my dad was going to be like this forever I would have never wanted to meet him in the first place."

"Well, honey, I'm trying my hardest here – if I have my way he won't be like this forever. I just wish I could think of something to show them all that would help them remember."

Monica had plenty of time to think, and by the time they reached home she had several ideas. She showed them all the pictures she had of each of them, including their old badges. Nothing. She showed them the few old files she had. No response. She went to bed that night not only disheartened but guilty. She was plagued with potentially infinite problems. First, she had gotten Will and Amy all excited, only to let them down. Now they must be longing even more because their loved ones are so close, yet so unreachable. Also, if she couldn't ever "wake" Mulder, Scully, and John from their robotic states, she had three escaped prisoners to watch after day and night, putting all of their safety at risk. The dangers made it even clearer – she simply had to find a way. There had to be some object, some link to their pasts that would allow everything to come flooding back into their brains – if she stopped thinking and searching for that one thing then she might as well give up all together. But once again, her feelings made her sure that it existed. Yes, those were the same feelings that had gotten her into this mess, but with any luck they could get her out, like a trail of breadcrumbs, but hopefully with a happier ending. As she went to sleep, her mind went to work, continually searching for that one thing.

The next morning, she awoke refreshed with a new purpose, for the night before she had thought of another thing to try. She slowly opened her rather intimidating closet full of junk in her bedroom and began to slowly paw through all the stuff she didn't even know she had yet supposedly needed. _See, this is why you should never throw anything out, you never know when you may need it to set your friends free from a robotic state_, she thought. She finally reached it, at the back of her closet, all rolled up carefully with rubber bands. And she undid it and brushed the dust away, she couldn't help but frown. She remembered the day perfectly, going down to the office with John only to find it vacated, finding the phone laying on the ground with this precious poster curled up next to it … I want to believe. What a message. She felt herself in the same position now, wanting to believe that this poster would do the trick, the one symbol she possessed that encompassed the ideals of the X-files all in one simple phrase. If this didn't do it, she certainly didn't know what would.

She walked into the living room, where Amy was babysitting all three of them, which in truth didn't take much work because all they did was stare into space.

"Hey guys," she announced as their heads whipped around. "I've got something to show you…" She unfurled the poster and they all looked at it, stared at it for several minutes, as they were accustomed to doing whenever Monica showed them anything. It was only Monica's sigh that broke the silence. She rolled up the poster again and threw it back into her closet before crawling back into bed.

"Mom, come on, you have to get up sometime," pleaded Amy many hours later.

"Where are they?"

"Oh, they all went to bed awhile ago. It was probably the most they've ever said, they said they were tired and felt weird so they were going to bed. It's only 8 though," Amy answered. "Were you planning to continue your nap through the night?"

"I don't know. Yes." Monica replied. "I just feel so… hopeless."

"Well, um, who doesn't? This whole situation is really awful, but we're never going to accomplish anything if you keep lying around."

"Maybe I was thinking."

"You were not thinking, except maybe about how bad your life is. But look, just because the poster didn't work doesn't mean something else won't."

"There is nothing else," Monica sighed. "I can't think of one single other thing. It's over."

"Well, thanks for all the hope mom. Just so you know, I've never known you to give up like this." Amy left the room. She meant for her remark to hit hard, and it did. But instead of making her mom want to get up and do something, it only made Monica feel worse and pull the covers up a little higher. Miraculously, she finally did get up the next morning, drawn by the heavenly aroma of Amy's chocolate chip pancakes. She walked into the living room where their three houseguests were sleeping and noticed that John was waking up too, driven by the same smell. However, the pancakes were soon forgotten.

John sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Mon…" he mumbled.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Sorry, sorry, and sorry again about how long it took to get this post up. I hope you enjoy it.

Amy would have heard her mother's squeal had she not been outside, taking out the trash.

"Oh my… John! You're… you again!" Monica cried as she wrapped her arms around him – something she had been waiting to do forever.

"Mon, oh Mon, what happened to me? The last I remember I was just getting ready to go to the grocery store when no fewer than five burly guys dressed in black busted through the door and shoved a needle in my neck. That's all I remember. And now, here with you? Was I abducted?"

"Honey, I don't know. There are so many unanswered questions; right now isn't the time and place to go look for answers. All I know is that they took you, and I've been looking for you for 15 years. And now I've finally found you," Monica sighed into John's shoulder. "As you can see there have been some big changes. Mulder and Scully were held in the same place you were, at Mount Weather. But the biggest change is this John: the night you were taken, that night I was coming home with some big news: we have a child now, a beautiful 15-year-old daughter."

John's jaw dropped just as Amy walked through the door. She could tell instantly that something was weird about the whole situation. "Dad?" she questioned softly.

Amy ran into John's arms and finally hugged her dad like she had been dreaming of doing for what seemed like eternity.

"Your name is Amy?" John muttered.

"How did you know?" she wondered.

"It just kept coming to me, over and over again in my dreams," John sighed.

And that was how the next few weeks played out. More and more of John's life came back to him; however, there was still a frustrating 15-year void that could only be remembered through the numerous photos of his daughter shown to him by Monica. They had all been carefully cataloged waiting for his return; it was one of the few things that kept Monica going.

Mulder and Scully had also re- acquired their memories and Amy had quickly called William. Of course, their reunion had been just as touching– Scully was crying as she held her son close and Mulder let one of his famous smiles loose. The next weeks flew by: everyone seemed so happy.

Amy was just trying to catch up with her dad, something she found difficult considering he had missed her whole childhood and she couldn't exactly talk about his past. But it seemed like her parents were happy– and Amy couldn't help but feel relived when she saw them together – it was nice to have two parents again. Will felt the same – although he was sad to leave his foster parents, he loved being with his real parents and not having to wonder about them 24/7. They were _his_ family and he felt like he belonged with them – there was just some special bond that years of staying with another family couldn't have created.

But the question of safety wasn't far from anyone's mind, even during times as joyful as these. So, as one big family made up of two smaller ones, however you look at it, they made a choice. They hoped the choice would be enough to keep them safe and therefore keep them together so they wouldn't have to go through this painful separation again. They decided to move to London, England.

"You know what they say," John drawled. "When you can't fight 'em… have enough sense to turn around and run away."

Monica smiled. "Somehow I don't recall having heard that one before."

"Well, it's a slight variation on the main idea," John said.

The flight began to board and John turned around and looked at Monica and Amy, his wife and his daughter. He knew he didn't want to run, it wasn't like him, but deep down he decided that he had other people to think of, and he couldn't take the chance of losing them again. He sighed and stepped up to the flight attendant and handed her his ticket. They all got on the plane and sat down.

Scully gave Mulder's hand a little squeeze.

"We're finally back in the world," she whispered as the engine began to roar.

Amy gave Will's hand a little squeeze.

"We did it," she whispered as the plane rose into the sky.

Monica gave John's hand a little squeeze.

"I'm so glad to have you back," she whispered as the Toronto skyline shrank away in the distance.

"I'll never lose you again," was the reply.

El Fin

Did you like it? Tell me what you thought if you don't mind.


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